Divers remove unexploded World War II bombs from the waters of Solomon Islands.

(Royal New Zealand Navy/Facebook)

Divers in the Solomon Islands have recovered 50 unexploded War War II bombs, including a 250-pound explosive.

According to a Facebook post by the Royal New Zealand Navy, divers from the HMNZS Mamawanui, a diving support vessel, joined forces with the Canadian Defence Force's Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit to recover the bombs in an operation dubbed Operation Render Safe 2016.

“There is a lot of pride among the ship’s crew that Manawanui was able to play an important role in creating a safer environment in the Solomon Islands during previous operations, and that they are again playing an important role this time,” Lieutenant Commander Muzz Kennett, the Commanding Officer of Manawanui, said.

Kennett told Radio New Zealand the team had been working in the Russell Island group, which lies north-west of Guadalcanal. Their purpose, he said, was to ensure communities and the waters they relied on were safe.

"We have found 250-pound bombs and smaller ordnance," said Kennett. "One village we found up to 52 pieces of ordnance that we removed and detonated some explosives to get rid of them. It's working really well, we have been busy, and in the last five days we have got rid of approximately 400 pounds of ordnance."

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